Page 229 - DMGT406_HUMAN_RESOURCE_MANAGEMENT

Human Resource Management

Notes These committees provide a forum for the discussion of proposals for legislations and other
matters connected with labour policy and administration before they are finally brought up
before the legislature, so that the passage of the legislation may be facilitated.
The first Industrial Committee was constituted in 1947. These mostly constituted of committees
related to plantations, cotton textiles, jute, coal mining, mines other than coal, cement, tanneries
and leather goods manufacture, iron and steel, building and construction industry, chemical
industries, road transport, engineering industries, metal trades, electricity, gas and power and
banking.

Other Tripartite Committees

Besides various committees, certain other tripartite bodies playing vital role are as follows:
1. Steering Committee on Wages
2. Central Implementation and Evaluation Machinery

3. Central Boards of Workers' Education
4. National Productivity Council.

13.7.2 Bipartite Bodies

The bipartite consultative machinery comprises two important constituents, viz., the works
committees and the joint management councils. These are purely consultative, and not negotiating
bodies. This consultative joint machinery with equal representation of the employers and the
workers has been set up exclusively for dealing with disputes affecting plant and machinery.

The importance of bipartite consultative machinery was first recognized as early as in 1920,
when a few joint committees were set up in the process controlled by the government of India.
Later, in 1922, the workers people's welfare committee was established in the Buckingham and
Carnatic Mills, Madras to achieve close contacts with the workers. A few were also started in
some private and state-owned enterprises and in some railways. But, generally speaking, the
results achieved were rather disappointing. The importance of bipartite consultation was further
highlighted by the First-Five-Year plan. The two important constituents of tripartite consultative
machinery are:

Works Committees

These committees have been regarded as the most effective social institution of industrial
democracy and as a statutory body, established within the industrial units with representatives
of the management and workmen, for preventing and settling industrial disputes at the unit
level. The works committee can be formed by any enterprise, employing 100 or more workers.
Its objectives are:
1. To remove the causes of friction in the day-to-day work situation by providing an effective
grievance- resolving machinery;
2. To promote measures securing amity and good relationship;
3. To serve as a useful adjunct in establishing continuing bargaining relationship;
4. To strengthen the spirit of voluntary settlement, rendering recourse to conciliation,
arbitration and adjudication rather infrequent.

222 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY